House Sparrow

Allwetterzoo, Münster, Germany-------------Natural Habitat: The House Sparrow originated in the Middle East and spread, along with agriculture, to most of Eurasia and parts of North Africa. Since the mid-nineteenth century, it has reached most of the world, due chiefly to deliberate introductions, but also through natural dispersal and shipborne travel. Its introduced range encompasses most of North America, Central America, southern South America, southern Africa, part of West Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and islands throughout the world. The House Sparrow has also greatly extended its range in northern Eurasia since the 1850s, and continues to do so, as was shown by the colonisations around 1990 of Iceland and Rishiri Island, Japan. It reaches its greatest densities in urban centers, but its reproductive success is greater in suburbs, where insects are more abundant. On a larger scale, it is most abundant in wheat-growing areas such as the Midwestern United States. It tolerates a variety of climates, but prefers drier conditions, especially in moist tropical climates. It has a number of adaptations to dry areas, including a high salt tolerance and an ability to survive without water by ingesting berries. The extent of its range makes it the most widely distributed wild bird on the planet. In most of its range the House Sparrow is extremely common, despite some declines, but in marginal habitats such as rainforest or mountain ranges, its distribution can be spotty.